Page 3405 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 11 October 1994
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We were able to identify usage of ovals from bookings, as well as from discussions with school communities. School communities, in using non-school ovals, do not necessarily book them. We needed to elicit a usage pattern from a range of sources, to look at where we could, in fact, reduce the ground maintenance; not adversely affect the organised sporting community; and reduce any impact on the recreational sporting community. We identified a number of grounds that would be able to have the level of maintenance and programmed watering reduced. About 20 or 21 were identified over that period. There has been a suggestion that we add another, I think it was, five to that program.
My concern about that was that we would use a fairly blunt instrument, if you like, to facilitate expenditure reduction in this total program. I requested a review of the usage and utilisation of those ovals and of the capacity for them to be returned, either wholly or partially, to some form of high standard maintenance and watering. In fact, we are currently negotiating for five of those ovals to be returned to a high maintenance standard. That has been done in cooperation with school and sporting organisations and by their being able to identify that they will, in fact, need a higher level of maintenance than they may have received, particularly over the last winter, and certainly over the last summer and the last winter.
Because of the current dry weather conditions, it is obvious that those grounds are receiving non-programmed water. In fact, the natural rainfall is providing water for them. In this dry season it has become far more apparent that that is the case than it has been in previous years. I have identified those ovals for return to higher level maintenance by, firstly, taking account of the weather situation over the last year, particularly during winter. I can identify the ovals, if you like. Campbell oval was certainly one. I am sure that you have received the same representations in the last week as I have. But decisions have been made over the last two months to return Campbell, in particular, to a higher level of maintenance and to afford the opportunity for cricket and other recreational sports to use that in an ongoing capacity.
There are four other ovals involved, and I undertake to provide you with the detail. In fact, I can do that now, because I am able to read my briefing note better, Mr Moore. They are Weston oval, Mill Creek oval in Narrabundah, Cook oval, Evatt oval and Flynn oval, in addition to the oval at Campbell. They are all to be returned to a high maintenance standard. That should ameliorate any possible congestion in relation to organised sporting activities and should provide for a bit of a greening within those suburbs because of the dry weather conditions.
State Bank of New South Wales
MR STEVENSON: My question is to Mr Connolly. As members know, the State Bank of New South Wales is a credit provider within the ACT and is the official bank of the ACT Government. I ask Mr Connolly, in his capacity as Minister for consumer affairs: Are investigations being undertaken by the ACT Credit Tribunal, the ACT Consumer Affairs Bureau or any other government body into irregularities in the offering of credit in the ACT by the State Bank of New South Wales?
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